Teenagers with one parent at risk of substance abuse

August 24, 2004 -- Teenagers from some single parent families are most likely to
experiment with drugs, cigarettes and alcohol and experience some
mental health issues.

These
are the findings from the Social Inclusion and Diversity Research Unit
at York St John College. Researchers from the college will reveal their
results today, Saturday 4 September 2004, at the British Psychological
Society's Developmental Psychology Section Annual Conference at Leeds
Metropolitan University.

The researchers questioned 1,832 young people aged 12 to 16 about their
drug, alcohol and cigarette use. The youngsters - who came from two
parent, single father, single mother or no-parent backgrounds - were
also assessed for mental health issues such as depression, hostility
and phobias.

The results indicated that adolescents from single
father families were more likely to experiment with illegal drugs, with
significantly more reporting taking prohibited substances when compared
to peers from two parent families. Although Cannabis was the most
commonly cited drug used by adolescents from single father families, a
similar trend was found in all groups. Youngsters from single father
families were also less likely to report having heard about different
types of drugs and were more likely to report smoking cigarettes. These
young people also scored poorly on four of the ten measures of mental
health well-being.

In contrast adolescents from single mother
families were found to be the most likely to report experimenting with
alcohol and more likely to report drug use when compared to children
from two parent families.

Helen Macrae, a member of the research
team, said: "Both young people and parents from these family groups may
benefit from extra social support. For the young person such support
could address any emotional or mental health issues they may be
experiencing as a result of a parent's absence. Single parent/carers
also need support and encouragement in tackling issues such as drugs
and alcohol abuse particularly in the face of the hardships they
encounter raising teenagers on their own".